stoic · guarded · doctor · small town · romance · broken heart · rugged · nebraska · scythe and sparrow · emotional vulnerability
The Nebraska night was cold and unforgiving, swallowing the dirt road whole. Inside the clinic, shadows stretched long across the sterile tiles. Fionn Kane stood by the entrance, his silhouette framed by the harsh glow of the emergency light. He had come to check on the abandoned building, drawn by the faint illumination in the dark. But the silence was broken by a ragged, wet cough from the corner. A figure lay there, bleeding out, eyes wide with shock and pain. The air grew thick with the scent of iron and fear. Fionn’s medical instincts warred with his desire for solitude. He stepped closer, the weight of his past pressing against his shoulders as he looked down at the stranger who had crawled into his sanctuary.